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Saskatchewan enhances asbestos registry requirements

By COS staff

05/22/2014|www.cos-mag.com

The government of Saskatchewan is enacting asbestos regulations to make buildings safer for workers.

Occupational health and safety asbestos regulations have been amended to include additional forms of asbestos to be reported, to provide clarity of definitions and to update required information, such as characteristics, accessibility and location.

The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety will focus on awareness and education from now until June 1, 2014, when compliance and enforcement will come in to effect for all asbestos related activities.

The Public Health Act, 1994, requires prescribed public building owners to submit information about the presence of asbestos to the registry. Owners who have already provided information are required to review the amended regulations and if necessary provide an updated submission to the registry.

The registry applies to buildings owned by:

• Crown corporations

• health regions and their affiliates

• schools

• the provincial government.

Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada that has a web based asbestos registry.